10 Ways Pregnancy Changes Your Skin

When I woke up one morning in my first trimester with more pimples than I sported as a teenager, I freaked out. But to my surprise, there was actually a lot that could be done to soothe my pizza face, including topical antibiotics that my doctor deemed safe and an amazing oxygen facial that restored my cheeks to their pre-pregnancy smoothness.
Here are the top 10 skin conditions you may experience during pregnancy and how you can treat them.

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1: Acne

Youre an adult, youre going to be someones mother for gods sake, but for some reason, your skin has decided that its 1987 all over again. But stop before you pop — NYC dermatologist Michele Green, MD says that there is treatment available thats safe for you and your baby. Make an appointment with your dermatologist rather than self-treat and go over the best options for your condition, no matter how severe.

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2: Stretch marks

During pregnancy, your skin is being stretched to its limits, and the visual evidence often comes in the form of stretch marks — scars that are caused by tears in the dermis. Green says that red stretch marks can be treated with lasers, but if the marks are white, that means theyre old, and theres little you can do to eliminate them. And as for those cocoa butter creams you see advertised on TV? Although they may smell nice, Green says to save your money because theres no proof that they actually do anything.

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3: Hyperpigmentation

Youre already constipated, irritated and nauseous so the last thing you want to see when you wake up and look in the mirror are icky spots on your skin. But hyperpigmentation  the darkening of an area of skin caused by an increase in melanin  is common during pregnancy. The good news, says Green, is that its preventable. The first thing to do is to avoid too much exposure to the sun. Green says that during pregnancy, the increase in estrogen can make you very photosensitive, similar to what some women experience when going on the Pill. If you do go out in the sun, apply sunscreen and reapply it. Wear a hat and a long-sleeved shirt, she suggests.

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4: Melasma

Known as the mask of pregnancy, melasma is a more severe skin discoloration thats thought to be partly due to genetic predisposition. Hyperpigmentation is when you get dark freckles. With melasma you actually get sheets of it, usually on your upper lip or your cheeks, says Green. For some women, the condition will fade away when the baby is born, but for others, treatment may be required. There are great bleaches, hydroquinones [topical depigmenting agents] and lasers that can get rid of it, says Green. Still, prevention is your best defense — so stay out of the sun and keep applying that sunblock.

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5: Spider veins

Theyre unsightly and can cause even the most stylish women to wear tan-colored pantyhose. But, spider veins are easily treated, says Green. I tell patients, if youre going to have more kids you might want to wait til youre all done. Laser treatment, sclerotherapy (which involves injecting a liquid chemical into the vein) or saline injections are the most common treatments. Spider veins are different than varicose veins, which are deeper in the legs and are usually treated surgically.

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6: Rashes

What goes along with your sexy new maternity wear? How about a rash! One of the most common rashes is heat rash, says Green. If your rash is very mild you can try using hydrocortisone but if its getting worse and youre pregnant, you want to seek professional help to make sure nothing else is going on. Green says that other skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea can also be triggered during pregnancy. Women get rosacea during pregnancy. They get lots of broken blood vessels on their face. After the baby is born, they can come in for laser treatment to get rid of it.

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7: Skin tags

Did you know that youre more likely to develop skin tags — those tiny flaps of skin that seem to sprout on your neck and in other areas where the skin creases — during your pregnancy? Thankfully, skin tags are benign and no treatment is necessary. But if youre like most women, youll want the dermatologist to remove them. Just wait until after the baby is born, says Green, since this treatment is purely cosmetic in nature.

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8: Unwanted hair growth

Theres no more womanly time in your life than pregnancy, so how come youre sporting facial hair and maybe even a moustache to rival John Stossels? Again, its about the estrogen, says Green. Though unwanted hair growth is very common during pregnancy, Green suggests waiting until after the pregnancy to get laser hair removal.

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9: Melanoma

Thinking about skin cancer while pregnant sounds depressing, but Dr. Green insists that you must. Theres an increased risk of melanoma during your pregnancy which is related to estrogen, she says. The estrogen makes cells grow and theyll make cancer cells grow as well. Green says she sees lots of young women in their 20s and 30s who come in because they notice a new mole. Sometimes, theyre unaware of a mole or that anythings wrong. The treatment for melanoma is usually excision of the lesion. Nobody should die of melanoma, says Green. Its easily identifiable and very treatable.

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10: Linea Nigra

Just in case your belly wasnt noticeable enough, many women develop a dark line down the center of their abdomen during pregnancy. This hyperpigmentation is caused by increased estrogen levels — the same thing that causes darkening of the nipples and labia in some women. Like many mysterious skin conditions during pregnancy, the purpose of the linea nigra is unknown. Though theres nothing you can do to prevent or get rid of it, for most women, the dark line typically fades within six months to a year after birth.

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